What are the advantages and disadvantages of patents? What do these advantages and disadvantages suggest about the use of patents as part of your technology strategy?
Why do patents work better in some industries than in others?
Evaluating Patents Go to www.uspto.gov. Do a patent search and look up the following patents: number 5,173,051—“Curriculum Planning and Publishing Method,” number 5,241,671— “Multimedia Search System,” number 6,080,436— “Bread Refreshing Method,” number 5,443,036—“Method of Exercising a Cat,” number 6,368,227—“Method of Swinging on a Swing,” number 4,597,046—“Securities Brokerage Cash Management System Obviating Float Costs by Anticipatory Liquidation of Short Term Assets,” and number 6,467,180—“Use of a Tape Measure to Determine the Appropriate Bra Size.” Should the USPTO have granted these patents? Why or why not? (In answering these questions, think about whether the inventions are obvious, valuable, and useful, and whether they infringe on prior patents.)